DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Iowa lawmakers should look into how the state handles child protective services following the October death of a 16-year-old girl who was allegedly starved, a key Republican lawmaker said Thursday in announcing a legislative investigation.
Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, who chairs the House Government Oversight Committee, said he wants to question the Iowa Department of Human Services on how it handles child placement and allegations of abuse and neglect. He also wants to bring in other groups that work with children.
Kaufmann said the effort is inspired by the death of Natalie Finn, a West Des Moines teenager who had been involved in the state’s foster care and adoption program. Natalie’s parents have both pleaded not guilty to charges in her death. A Democratic lawmaker who has met with state officials has said the girl was starved to death.
Kaufmann, of Wilton, said he wants Department of Human Services officials to attend legislative hearings, but the questions will not be specific to Natalie’s case.
“This is about looking at how DHS operates as a whole so that we can prevent situations from happening going forward,” he said.
The distinction is important because GOP Gov. Terry Branstad and Republican lawmakers have criticized some Senate Democrats for launching an informal legislative investigation into child protective services amid a criminal investigation into Natalie’s death. Branstad has said that lawmakers could inadvertently hurt the prosecution’s case.
Kaufmann has said that Sen. Matt McCoy, a ranking member of the Senate Government Oversight Committee, has released details of the case that were confidentially given to him as a lawmaker.
McCoy, who has led the informal hearings for weeks, disputed that accusation. The Des Moines lawmaker said he was also hopeful that House Republicans will work in a bipartisan manner on the investigation. He plans to talk to Senate Republicans about convening joint meetings. He had previously criticized the GOP committee chairman for not holding oversight meetings so far this year.
“The fact is we are really looking at caseloads and staffing to determine if it’s appropriate,” he said, referencing the Department of Human Services.
Amy McCoy, a department spokeswoman who has no relation to the senator, said in a statement that the agency welcomes “a meaningful conversation with the members of the House Oversight Committee about the authority the Legislature provides DHS to investigate allegations, about how our policies and procedures are established, as well discussing our efforts toward continuous quality improvement.”
Ben Hammes, a spokesman for Branstad, reiterated that the governor believes that legislators should not do anything to jeopardize the criminal investigation into Natalie’s death. But he added that the administration “would support an effort by legislators to learn more information about the overall adoption, child welfare and foster care systems at the Department of Human Services.”
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